Wings of Fire ~ A Special Snowflake

6 ~ A Glittering Sky

His many sleepless nights were seriously getting on his nerves. He was tapping his claws on his ox pelt bed while staring at his new broken chain jewelry tucked in the corner of the room. Tommorow was his day off, he had all the time in the world to sleep right now, yet he couldn't close his eyes.

His claws. Those moon-bitten claws tingled more than ever. It was a constant buzzing ever since his fight with Pewter. His mind flashed back to the moment he had thrown the silver dragonet off of him.

I didn't even try to push him off. Plus, it was very forceful, unnaturally so. But then... what happened?

He found himself outside, scratching his claws on ice blocks. He attempted to lift a heavy block, but it wouldn't budge. He tried pushing it. No luck.

"Come on, supid ice block, move!" He gave one last push, and to his absolute amazement, he managed to move the block about three tail-lengths.

I knew it! I'm really getting stronger! Haha!

He stopped pushing, feeling out of breath. He started thinking of what else he could try.

There's an iceberg blocking up the river that runs near the village. Prey is scarce these days. I wonder if I can break it! Maybe not, an iceberg is much heavier than a dragon or an ice block. Still, worth a shot! Snowflake giggled and launched himself into the cloudy night sky.

He was unaware of the eyes that watched him vanish into the darkness.

After an hour of flying, his wings began to ache. The wind was unusually powerful that night and he strained to see the ground.

It has to be here somewhere! Snowflake took a sharp dive and soared over what he believed was the river. The water churned, distorting his reflection into ripples.

There is is! His mind screamed as a lumbering chunk of ice appeared in the distance. He circled above it, splating his claws with excitement.

With a giddy smile, he aimed at the very center of the iceberg before folding his wings and falling down. He bodyslammed the ice with the strongest impact he could manage, a huge mistake.

Stars were swarming his vision as his bones hissed. He growled, feeling his mucsles demand him to stop. It hurt, but he wasn't about to give up just yet.

I can do this! I'll save the village! And then he dove again. And again. And again. The fifth time, as he was in the sky, he roared with frustration. It was a miracle he didn't break any bones. He felt sore from repeating his useless quest. The iceberg hadn't moved an inch. Only miniscule cracks at the surface could be seen.

I can break it! GRRR! What did I do different before? Let's see, I shouted at it, that's all I remember. Haha! That's impossible! I can't make something happen just by saying it! But then the nightwing flashed in his mind. Snowflake had completely frogot about the prophecy the elderly dragon delivered.

Behold the power of the stars.

Snowflake landed on the iceberg, feeling lightheaded. Power? MAGIC? What if he ment-

Forgetting about the rest of the prophecy and the warnings, he gazed down at the cracks. His breath was shaky as he laid his talons in the center. The water below swirled, reflecting the now cloudless sky. He opened his mouth, then closed it, unsure of what to say. But then his palms hummed with energy as an idea came to mind. Whenever he thought of magic, he believed it to be captivating. Incredible. enchanting.

"I... uh- enchant this iceberg to break into tiny pieces!" He felt silly. Like this will work. Icewings are not magical and never will be. That nightwing was probably delusional, walking out into the middle of the arctic. He probably had-

Snowflake yelped as the iceberg beneath his trembled furiously. His breath hitched as chunks broke off. The water splashed and leaped onto his scales. He was stunned and couldn't move. His dark blue eyes were wide as the ice splintered in front of him.

Before he could react, he was underwater. Bubbles cascaded from his jaw as he roared with surprise. His mind was racing as the ice chunks prevented him from resurfacing. He used his hooked claws to grasp the ice to prevent himself from being pushed down further.

Adrenaline pulsed through his as his only thoughts were focused on survival, forgetting all about magical prophecies. He looked at the surface as his chest burned, almost threatening to burst. His vision was foggy as he began to make a last ditch effort to escape a watery death.

He swam. Small, sharp icicles scraped his body and tiny ribbons of blue blood escaped into the icy depths. His talons churned heavily, reaching for the surface. It was soo close, yet he was soo tired. As the last bubbles of air escaped his mouth, he was ready to break the surface. He was right there!

But... he couldn't. It was too much. It hurt tremendously. It was as if a heavy blanket was placed over him, restricting access to the outside world. He stopped moving as the adrenaline settled. He felt himself sinking. His mind was empty as he felt colder than usual. The daring escape from the ice chunks had taken its toll. He closed his eyes, feeling no pain or urgency as he sunk lower into the cold water.

That was, until he heard a loud splash from above. Strong talons gripped his wrists. He opened his eyes to see another icewing pulling him out the water. They wore no jewelry, yet he felt as if he knew this dragon.  The grip on his arm... felt familiar.

He was free. He coughed and sputtered as the fridig air embraced him. The mystery dragon pulled him put the water, grunting loudly as they became airborne.

He was dropped onto soft snow as a waterfall spilled from his jaw. His lungs ached as he took a stuttering breath. Finally, he gasped. Air. He was safe at last. Alive and safe.

He heard panting beside him. He turned his head and saw the silhouette of his savior hunched over. The stars glittered above, as if watching the two young icewings. A tint of lavender caught his eye.

"...Skua?"